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As the famous birthplace of pizza, pasta and of course the mouthwatering gelato, some people travel to here simply for the food: Discover some of the best food tours off the beaten path in Italy.

If Italy is your next travel destination, then you have chosen well: amazing landscape, stunning seasides, extravagant Italian villa accommodations and, what else, the food. Italy is a culture that is proud of its heritage, and its passion for food is no exception. They often say that eating is not just defined as breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it’s an experience. One of the biggest problems when visiting Italy, is getting stuck in those tourist traps: high priced restaurants with mediocre food. So on your next trip to the old country, check out some of these luxury food and wine tours in Italy.

Not only are Italians dedicated to cooking divine dishes, but they take much pride in the local origin of their products. It is something that defines Italian food culture, and that not many tourists know about. A popular choice for holiday-makers is therefore visiting a biodynamic Olive Oil farm. One particular tour takes you to a property that was originally a Medici Hunting Lodge and boasts beautiful Italian gardens along with vineyards and olive groves. You will have the opportunity to meet the owners of the farm and hear their many stories not only about oil production, but history, culture and everything in between. Enjoy chatting while tasting divine extra virgin olive oil on bread toasted over a wood fire, and finishing it off with a refreshing desert wine.

When people think of chocolate, they automatically think of Switzerland or Belgium, but actually, Italy is one of the biggest chocolate producing nations. For all of those travellers with a bit of a sweet tooth, take a delightful stroll to visit three local Chocolate Artisans in the Piazza Beccaria district of Florence. There’s even the possibility to start the tour at Gelato Guru Simone Bonini’s laboratory to see how the product is made and taste amazing gelato from the very best. From there, meander on to some chocolate boutiques under the guidance of an expert private tour leader.

One cannot go to Italy without indulging in a little wine. The best area to visit for this would be Tuscany, rich with some of the best wines in the country, not to mention the most breathtaking view. Check out the Consuma mountain range while travelling to the beautiful Chianti Ruffina Wine Zone. Visit the castle while you’re at it and take a tour of the private wine cellars of the Marchesi Frescobaldi. The best part will be tasting these marvellous Tuscan wines, coupled with meats and cheeses from the region that will pair nicely.

This is just a small fraction of the variety available, with cities such as Rome, Venice and Naples offering a wealth of food based activities, and each region specializing in their own dish. So whether it be truffle-hunting in Tuscany or high-end wine tastings in Milan, make the most of your time in this wonderful country and eat to your heart’s desire.

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“Clean eating” is one of the latest buzz phrases in our quest to find the “right” diet. There has been an increase in consumer demand for clean food products. Consumers are asking for products lower in sodium, without high fructose corn syrup and trans-fats, products with short ingredient lists, recognizable and “natural” ingredients. And the food industry is responding. Ingredients are being removed which are not easily understood. You will find more options without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. In 2015, 25% of new product launches globally were considered “label-friendly.”

Is this the answer? More food “products” with fewer ingredients? It can be a component of better eating, but I hope to continue to aim for more food and fewer food “products.”

Benefits of Clean Eating

With any choices in our eating patterns there are a variety of reasons individuals may make the choice for a cleaner diet.

• Food allergies and food sensitivities is a concern many men, women and children face each day. Making the diet simpler can make it easier to avoid foods that may be of concern.

• Clean eating may be a choice made for weight loss. The weight loss benefit of a cleaner approach to eating can be a result of focusing on nourishing your body well rather than the concentration on calories in versus calories out.

• Increased energy and focus is a benefit many experience from a cleaner approach to eating.

When you provide the nutrients your body needs for good health it will function optimally rather than creating restriction with a diet low in calories that also may be low in nutrient value.

How to Eat Clean

So what do you do? How can you make simple changes to shift to a cleaner diet. Follow these tips to get started to eating a more real food diet and one made less of food “products.”

1. Shop the outer ring of the grocery store. The outer ring of the grocery store contains foods including fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed meats. It will include dairy products that range from lightly processed to highly processed. When you go towards the center of the store you will find more foods that are heavily processed which may contain a long list of ingredients. There may be basic foods that will fit well into your cleaner diet in the inner portion of the store, but you need to then look at tip 2.

2. Read food labels. We talk about “processed” food as if it is the enemy. But we also need to define what that means. Processing can be as simple as turning a product that isn’t in an edible state to a form that we will consume in our diet. To the extreme, processing can be adding colors, fillers, additives and chemicals to alter the taste, color and texture of a food to be more appealing to the consumer. Reading the label will help you understand where the difference lies. Look at the ingredient list and ask yourself the following questions.

• Are there more than 5 ingredients?

• Do I understand what each ingredient is?

(Sometimes added vitamins or minerals may be words you don’t understand. Check out the products you buy and do some research to find out the definition of words you don’t know, then consider if you want to buy that product in the future).

• Does it have added sugars and where is that on the list of ingredients?

(The higher in the list, the greater the quantity of that ingredient)?

• Does it have added fats and what is the source of that fat – is it a source that I choose to include in my diet to nourish myself well?

• Does it contain additives, fillers or food dyes?

• Does it contain ingredients that you suspect you may be sensitive too?

3. Prepare your own food. In our culture with busy lives today buying prepared foods can be appealing to simplify your life. Unfortunately, with that your diet may not be as clean as you would like. Make a plan for three – five meals that you can prepare for dinner each week. Can you make one or two meals on the weekend to make life easier during a busy week? Can you make extra and use that as lunch for another meal?

1 – Make a plan.

2 – Make it a plan that will work in your schedule and will allow for simple food prep to make your eating cleaner.

You may look at clean eating as another trend in our food market. Yes, it will be that as well. But I prefer to think about it as a way of life that allows you to nourish yourself well, to feel your very best and to optimize your health.

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I have recently made a very startling discovery which has helped me to stop spiralling into bouts of depression. In this article, I write about this discovery which I hope will help other people to lead much happier lives, free from anxiety and stress.

I am the type of person who can easily let things get on top of me. If I am rushed about here there and everywhere by my family or friends, I am often left feeling very drained and exhausted. I am sure this is the same for many people but the way it affects me over the next twenty-four hours is somewhat different. I seem to lose all of my energy and this then can easily lead me into thinking in a very negative way, often ending with me becoming quite depressed.

For whatever reason this depression can stay and in a way haunt my life for quite a few days. I begin to worry about the future, start to think that I am a failure, start to become paranoid about what other people think of me and basically become scared to leave my own house.

I have spoken to my family and especially my parents about this issue. They have advised me to seek help from a doctor. I must say that even though this would be good advice for most people, I feel that I am the kind of person who could become easily hooked and dependant on any tablets that would be described. I certainly do not want an addiction to add to my problems.

Possible solution to my depression

A few weeks ago I was watching a television program which has since had a massive impact on my life. It was an army type program and it talked about how one particular group of soldiers had all seemingly become ill and could not even complete the most routine of tasks.

A doctor or some other type of medical person was called to their camp to investigate what was wrong. The initial belief was that it was likely to be some form of food poisoning.

The doctor actually stated that the men had salt deprivation and called for for a large amount of salt tablets to be bought to the camp.

I thought about this and wondered if this could be the cause of my own issues.

The next time I felt I was becoming down or when I was over tired, I ate food products which contained a lot of salt and I am very happy to report that I quickly regained my energy and confidence levels. Such a simple solution to what was once such a huge problem for me.

If you are also the kind of person who is often depressed try eating a bit more salt, it might just change your life.